In an electric vehicle, a high current passes through the electric wires used for a propulsion motor circuit. Therefore, there has been proposed that a conductor with a larger cross-sectional area is used as an electric wire for the propulsion motor circuit in order to suppress heat generation of the electric wire. However, the conductor with a larger cross-sectional area is heavier, which is undesirable from the perspective of acceleration performance or fuel efficiency.
In order to lighten the electric wires in view of the circumstances, a single-core aluminum cable with a little specific gravity can be used for a wiring path that is almost linearly arranged and forms a relatively long path. A stranded copper wire, which is suitable for bending deformation in spite of a larger specific gravity than aluminum, can be used for a wiring path that is windingly arranged and forms a relatively short path.
If connection between dissimilar metals should be formed like the above case, a cold welding method, which brings the end faces of two conductors into abutting contact with each other and forms a bond therebetween with pressure, is available in consideration of electrical corrosion prevention.
A cold welding method for connecting between conductors is described in Patent Document 1, for example.
Patent Document 1: JP05-54949
However, if one of two conductors is formed of a stranded wire composed by twisting small-gauge wires, the one conductor is prone to buckling deformation. Therefore it is difficult to bring the end faces of the two conductors into abutting contact with each other and form a bond therebetween with pressure, in this case.
Thus, there is a need in the art to enable connection between two conductors made of dissimilar metals achieving electrical corrosion prevention in the case that one of the conductors is prone to buckling deformation.